Shloka 3
अम्बोपाख्याने तापसानां विचारः तथा होत्रवाहनस्य उपदेशः
Ambā among ascetics; Hotravāhana directs her to Paraśurāma
वृद्धैर्दधिजातिभिगुप्ता धात्रया चानुगता तदा । अतीत्य च तमध्वानमासाद्य नृपतिं तथा,आज्ञा पाकर राजकन्या अम्बा वृद्ध ब्राह्मणोंके संरक्षणमें रहकर शाल्वराजके नगरकी ओर गयी। उसके साथ उसकी धाय भी थी। उस मार्गको लाँचधचकर वह राजाके यहाँ पहुँच गयी और शाल्वराजसे मिलकर इस प्रकार बोली--“महाबाहो! महामते! मैं तुम्हारे पास ही आयी हूँ
vṛddhair dadhijātibhir guptā dhātryā cānugatā tadā | atītya ca tam adhvānam āsādya nṛpatiṃ tathā || ājñāṃ prāpya rājakaṇyā ambā vṛddha-brāhmaṇānāṃ saṃrakṣaṇeṇa śālvarājasya nagaraṃ yayau | sārdhaṃ dhātryā ca sā mārgaṃ laṅghayitvā rājānam upasaṃgamya śālvarājaṃ praty uvāca—“mahābāho! mahāmati! ahaṃ tvām eva prāptā” iti |
Bhīṣma said: “Guarded by elderly Brahmins and accompanied by her nurse, Ambā set out. Having traversed that long road, she reached the king as intended. With permission obtained, the princess went under the protection of venerable Brahmins toward the city of King Śālva. Arriving there with her nurse, she met Śālva and said: ‘Mighty-armed, great-minded one, I have come to you alone.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights a dharmic concern: personal choice in marriage and the moral weight of a declared intention. Even within royal politics, protection by elders and formal permission underscore that legitimacy is tied to consent and proper guardianship, not merely to power.
Ambā, escorted by elderly Brahmins and her nurse, travels to King Śālva’s city. She meets Śālva and declares that she has come to him—setting up her claim that her prior selection of Śālva should be honored despite the earlier disruption caused by Bhīṣma’s actions.